Poland is known for its historic cities like Kraków and Warsaw, beautiful mountain ranges, and growing tech scene. It's a place where old-world charm meets modern innovation — in fact, it's one of Europe's best countries for establishing a startup.
If you're considering hiring remote talent, Poland is a strategic choice because it's embraced remote work and is home to a population of skilled, highly educated professionals.
Key takeaways:
- Compared to many Western European countries, hiring in Poland is cost-effective due to competitive wages and a favorable economic environment.
- Poland offers a highly educated, tech-savvy workforce, with over 410,000 IT specialists who possess top-tier programming skills and are eager for jobs that allow them to work from home.
- The country's low cost of living, strong internet infrastructure, and rich culture make it an appealing option for Polish remote workers and digital nomads.
Advantages of Hiring in Poland
There are many reasons why global remote companies look to Poland to hire talent.
For one, more than 80% of the working-age population has an advanced education, and degrees in information and communication technology are particularly popular.
About 50% of the population speaks English, with higher concentrations of English speakers in major cities like Warsaw and Kraków who embrace the opportunity to work remotely for global companies. In addition, wages for Polish employees are lower compared with other countries in the EMEA region.
Let's take a quick look at some other essential facts about Poland:
- Language: Polish
- Currency: Polish złoty (PLN)
- Capital City: Warsaw
- Population: 38 million
- Cost of Living Rank: 67th
Poland is a Hub for Remote Tech Talent
In addition to Poland's highly educated workforce, many of whom are seeing remote jobs, the country also has more than 400 research-and-development centers, numerous technology incubators, and over 60,000 technology companies. It’s also one of the leading Central European countries in terms of the number of unicorn startups.
As for the workforce itself, much of the talent is technology-focused. More than 410,000 IT specialists call Poland home, and Polish developers rank highly for global programming skills assessments.
This country-wide focus on tech is reflected in some of Poland's top jobs for remote workers, such as:
- Software Engineer
- Account Manager
- Backend Engineer
- Front End Developer
- Project Management
- Social Media Manager
- DevOps
- Full Stack Engineer
- Business Analyst
- Product Manager
Other high-demand jobs in the country include financial analysts and HR managers.
Employment Laws: Hiring Compliantly in Poland
Employment Contracts
Poland has two main types of employment contracts: fixed-term and indefinite-term.
- Fixed-term: Contracts may be renewed up to three times with the same employer, and last up to 33 months. If the contract duration exceeds 33 months or a fourth contract is signed it automatically converts to an indefinite-term contract.
- Indefinite-term: These contracts, which are also referred to as "permanent contracts," are open-ended agreements that don't specify an end date. They remain in effect until either the employee or employer terminates them.
Working Hours & Pay
The standard workweek in Poland is eight hours a day, 40 hours per week. Working hours can be extended, but must not exceed 48 hours per week, including overtime.
Employees are entitled to extra pay for overtime work. For overtime worked on regular weekdays employees receive 50% more than their normal hourly rate. Overtime pay is double the regular rate for work performed at night, on Sundays, or on public holidays.
If an employee exceeds the average weekly working hours within a set reference period, that extra time is also compensated at 200%. Instead of paying for overtime, employers can offer additional time off. Total overtime hours cannot exceed 150 per year.
As of 2025, Poland's minimum wage is PLN 4,666 per month.
Probation Periods
The maximum probationary period in Poland is three months.
Employer Taxes
Employers must pay 19.48% to 22.14% of employees' gross salary in Social Security contributions. This covers contributions to social programs, including:
- Retirement pension
- Pension fund
- Disability
- Labor fund
- Guaranteed Employee Benefits Fund
Additionally, before employment starts, the following one-off costs apply.
- Medical check: This is usually performed at a local medical facility for approximately PLN 200, which is typically paid for upfront by the employee, with the employer reimbursing them in their first paycheck.
- Health and Safety training: Training is provided by an external company for approximately PLN 250.
Paid Leave Laws in Poland
Vacation and Holiday
Employees are entitled to annual leave depending on their length of service as follows:
- Less than 10 years of service: 20 days
- 10+ years of service: 26 days
Annual leave entitlements are calculated pro-rata for the first year of employment.
Workers also receive several paid public holidays, including:
- New Year's Day
- Epiphany
- Labour Day
- All Saints’ Day
- Independence Day
- Christmas
Sick Leave
In Poland, employees who are under 50 years old receive up to 33 days of sick leave per year, which their employer pays, while employees over the age of 50 receive 14 days of employer-paid sick leave. After that, any sick leave is paid by Social Security.
Sick leave is paid at 80% of the employee's salary unless the illness results from an accident that occurred on the way to or from work or due to pregnancy. In these cases, sick leave is paid at 100%.
Maternity Leave
Leave for mothers breaks down as follows:
- 20 weeks for the birth of one child
- 31 weeks for twins
- 33 weeks for triplets
- 35 weeks for quadruplets
- 37 weeks for quintuplets or more
Six weeks of this leave can be taken before the due date, and employees must take at least 14 weeks of leave after the birth. Social Security pays maternity leave at 100% of the employee's salary.
Paternity Leave
Fathers can take up to two weeks of fully paid paternity leave, which can be used in its entirety or divided into two parts, which must be one week in duration. This leave can be used at any time until the child reaches the age of 12 months.
Why Digital Nomads Love Poland
Poland does not offer a digital nomad visa, but many nomads still opt to live and work in Poland in the short term.
One of the country's biggest draws is its affordability. Compared to its Western European neighbors, Poland offers a significantly lower cost of living. From affordable rent and dining to low transportation costs, remote workers can stretch their budgets further while enjoying modern comforts.
Poland also delivers on the practical needs of remote work, especially connectivity. High-speed internet is available even in smaller towns, giving digital nomads reliable, fast connections throughout the country.
Plus, there's plenty for digital nomads to experience and explore after work hours, including Poland's centuries-old architecture, world-class museums, and the gorgeous Tatra Mountains.
How to Pay Remote Workers in Poland
Paying remote workers in Poland can be done in several ways, but each has pros and cons.
- Bank transfer: These are a common and secure method for paying employees in Poland. They allow for direct deposits into Polish bank accounts, ensuring compliance with local regulations. However, international wire transfers can incur high fees and longer processing times, especially when it comes to currency conversions.
- Money transfer: Services like PayPal are widely used for international payments. However, they often come with high fees and less favorable exchange rates, making them less ideal for larger or recurring payments. With its transparent fee structure and real exchange rates, Wise is another option that's particularly useful for businesses looking to minimize transfer costs.
- Cryptocurrency: Paying with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin offers fast transactions and low fees, but the volatility of cryptocurrencies and regulatory uncertainties in Poland make this method riskier and less common.
To streamline the process and ensure compliance with Polish labor laws, many companies partner with an Employer of Record (EOR), which acts as the legal employer on behalf of a company.
Hire in Poland with RemoFirst
Hiring remote workers in Poland gives companies access to a talented, well-educated workforce in a country known for its affordability, strong infrastructure, and wealth of tech talent.
Partnering with an EOR like RemoFirst makes the process of hiring in Poland and staying compliant with its labor laws a breeze.
How? We act as the legal employer on your behalf, handling everything from employment contracts and onboarding to global payroll, taxes, benefits, and more. We also ensure you remain compliant with all local labor laws.
Ready to start hiring in Poland and 185+ other countries across the globe? Book a demo.
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